Hollywood Police Ready To Stop Holiday Crime

Operation Shining Shield & Operation Reindeer

HOLLYWOOD (CBS4) ― The Hollywood Police Department is doing something new to prevent you from becoming a victim of a crime during the holiday season.

"Coming into Hollywood to do something dishonest would be a very, very bad idea," says Hollywood Police Sgt. Marry Marino.

Police officers have launched two operations that target crime in neighborhoods and shopping centers.

The first is Operation Shining Shield, designed to increase law enforcement presence throughout the city and target holiday crimes of opportunity. Operation Shining Shield is an extensive nine-week, city-wide operation which that not only includes Hollywood Police but also the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the Hallandale Beach Police Department.

This operation increases the number of officers on the street each day by more than 30-percent patrolling in both marked and unmarked vehicles. In addition, there will be specialized sting operations conducted to crack down on everything.

"We literally made hundreds and hundreds of arrests," Sgt. Marino said. "For the gamut – everything from burglary, narcotics, prostitution, so we decided to do that operation again this year."

Hollywood police have also launched Operation Reindeer, which increases police presence at Hollywood’s busiest shopping malls, including the Hollywood Mall, Oakwood Plaza, Sheridan Plaza and Taft Street Shopping Center. Officers will have an eye in the sky, inside a tower to get a bird’s-eye view of parking lots.

Other officers in uniform will patrol shopping center parking lots to guard against vehicle break-ins and ensure shopper safety. At the same time, detectives in unmarked vehicles will conduct robbery interdiction detail targeting suspects who follow shoppers home.

In another effort to deter crime, police will post electronic message boards at select locations throughout the city to indicate that Hollywood Police officers are in the area.

Message boards also remind shoppers to protect their valuables. Some ways to stay safe are to remember:
-Do not carry large amounts of cash
-Do not carry multiple credit cards if at all possible
-Do not leave items in plain view in your vehicle
-Always lock your vehicle doors